Elections 2018 – Voting with Conviction

“Contrary to popular belief, Colorado does not practice permanent disenfranchisement.” ~ Juston Cooper, Deputy Director of the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition

As voter disenfranchisement stories trend nationally with the midterm elections approaching, locally based social justice advocates developed a campaign to see how well constituents know how voting rights laws impact those with criminal records.

The Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition has launched a new education campaign to let those with criminal convictions know their voting rights. The CCRC’s Deputy Director, Juston Cooper told KGNU that just a slight majority have an accurate understanding of all the contingencies that apply and among the reasons he feels the Voting with Conviction campaign is empowering.

The organization announced the effort in a recent press conference and said in addition to the door to door civic engagement activities they’re known for conducting year round, a group of strategically placed bus shelter advertisements focus in Aurora.

The campaign seeks to educate voters on the impact of a criminal conviction on voting rights:

You CAN Vote in Colorado if:

You have a criminal conviction and have served your sentence including any parole time.
You are a pretrial detainee in jail.
You are on probation for a misdemeanor or felony.
You are currently serving a sentence in jail for a misdemeanor.

You CANNOT Vote in Colorado while:

You are incarcerated for a felony in a jail or prison.
You are on parole or federal supervised release.
You are a DOC inmate living in a community corrections halfway house or are on non-residential status.
You are a residential diversion client sentenced for a felony to a community corrections facility.